Trump: "We Have U.S. Troops Right Next to Nuclear Forces, but South Korea Has Not Helped Us"

According to The Financial News, President of the United States Donald John Trump criticized the Republic of Korea (South Korea) for not taking an active role in the Strait of Hormuz and, together with Japan and the People's Republic of China, pressed it to send troops.
Donald Trump told reporters during an Easter luncheon at the White House in Washington, D.C., on the 1st (local time) that, given the heightened tensions in the Strait of Hormuz due to threats from the Islamic Republic of Iran, countries that benefit from the waterway, such as South Korea and Japan, should take direct responsibility for its security.
He specifically mentioned the presence of United States Forces Korea (USFK) for the defense against North Korea and openly voiced dissatisfaction with what he described as South Korea's uncooperative stance.
Speaking about South Korea, he said, "It has not been helpful to us," and continued, "We have 45,000 troops in harm's way, right next to the nuclear forces (of North Korea), and yet that's the situation." His remarks suggested that South Korea enjoys security benefits while refusing to go along with U.S. strategic requests.
Observers interpreted these comments as an attempt to use the USFK as leverage to pressure South Korea on both increasing its defense cost-sharing and agreeing to the deployment of warships to the Strait of Hormuz, after Seoul failed to give a clear answer to Washington's repeated requests.
Aiming his criticism at other countries that use the strait, Donald Trump also said, "Let Japan do it. They get 90% of their oil from the strait."
He added, "Let the People's Republic of China do it. Let those beneficiary countries handle it themselves."
In an interview with the British daily The Guardian, Donald Trump also addressed the refusal of European NATO member states to join maritime security operations in the Strait of Hormuz. He said that the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) had become a "paper tiger" and even hinted that the United States might withdraw from the alliance.
jjyoon@fnnews.com Yoon Jae-joon Reporter